Experimental investigation and thermodynamic description of the Fe–Mo–Zr system

Abstract

The phase relations at 1273 K and liquidus surface projection of the Fe–Mo–Zr system were investigated by means of electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA), scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods. The composition range of C14 Laves phase was determined at 1273 K. The maximum solubility of Mo in C15–Fe2Zr, Mo in Fe23Zr6, Fe in C15–Mo2Zr and Zr in μ phase is about 4.8, 0.6, 17.7 and 4.6 at.% at 1273 K, respectively. The isothermal section at 1273 K of the Fe–Mo–Zr system on the whole composition ranges was constructed using 30 annealed alloys. In the liquidus surface projection, the primary solidification phase regions of bcc(Fe), C15–Fe2Zr, C14, μ, R, σ, bcc(Zr), C15–Mo2Zr and bcc(Mo) were experimentally confirmed using 31 as-cast alloys. Based on the experimental data in literature and the present work, the Fe–Mo–Zr system was optimized using CALPHAD method, and a set of self-consistent reliable thermodynamic parameters was obtained.